Sit Boy!
by Master Summoner Sheena
Summary: When Anna died, Noishe found he was left to raise Lloyd in her place. 14 years have gone by, and now Lloyd finds himself helping Colette regenerate the world. Or at least trying to... After all, it's difficult when you're a boy raised to be a dog.
1. Prologue

MSS: Yay! New story!

Genis: Why are you starting another...?

MSS: I'm almost done with **What's So Great About the Prom Anyways?**, so I decided to start my next one. And since only one person has voted in my poll, I picked this one because I already have the whole story written in my head.

Genis: Oh.

MSS: That should clear things up for everyone! Anyways, the prologue won't have that much humor in it since it basically sets up the story. But it gets better, I promise! And it will be updated weekly too!

Genis: Seriously? Is it the end of the world?

MSS: No, that's the story after this.

Genis: ...

MSS: I don't own anything. Actually, I think I'm the first to come up with this idea! Or post a story with it anyways. Read on!

* * *

Prologue

Noishe gently licked Anna on the cheek. She slowly opened her eyes. "Oh... Noishe..."

Anna's eyes suddenly went wide. "Lloyd!" She hurriedly unwrapped the bundle clutched to her chest. Seeing that she hadn't harmed Lloyd she breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed, her energy spent.

Noishe's eyes perked up at the sound of footsteps. Realizing she had no time, Anna held out Lloyd, still wrapped in a blanket. "Noishe, please protect him. Take care of him... since I am no longer able to do so..."

Noishe took the back of the blanket in his mouth and lifted it up. Anna carefully removed a pendant from around her neck and placed it around Lloyd's neck. "There... hopefully Kratos will find you..."

Sensing Anna was close to death, and hearing the footsteps speeding up, Noishe bounded off into the woods.

Anna smiled, knowing Lloyd was safe. "Goodbye... Lloyd..."

* * *

On top of the cliff, Kratos lay unconscious as a group of angels arrived, as well as Yggdrasill and Yuan.

Yggdrasill coolly gazed over the scene as Kvar approached. "Well?"

Kvar struggled to hide his rage as he stated, "The angelus project has yet to be found."

Yggdrasill raised his eyebrow. "Oh? Are you really that incompetent?"

Kvar mentally flinched at that icy remark. However he kept his face straight, determined not to show any weakness. _So soon... as soon as the cruxis crystal is recovered it should be ready to be used in the Mana Canon. Then Rodyle and I shall take over Cruxis. And after I get rid of him, I shall finally take my place as the rightful ruler all half-elves. Afterwards we can rid ourselves of those meddling, inferior..._

Kvar continued his inner rant as he strode off into the Iselia Ranch.

Forcystus shook his head in disgust. "I would watch out for him, Lord Yggdrasill. He's planning something."

Yggdrasill inclined his head towards Forcystus. "I realize that, however he has his uses. I have ordered Pronyma to keep tabs on him, so I will be forewarned if he tries anything. Not that he would succeed," Yggdrasill smirked.

Two angels carefully lifted Kratos up and warped back to Welgaia. Little did they know the thing everyone was searching for was right in front of them...

* * *

Noishe headed deeper into the forest. Stopping outside a cave, he glanced around the area. There was a stream not to far away, with a clearing on the other side. He saw berry bushes growing there, and some of the grape vines Iselia was known for.

Walking into the cave, Noishe saw it was fairly dry. He saw a speck of light further in. Walking towards it, he found an opening forming a natural balcony. He placed Lloyd down and strode towards the edge. He found himself looking down a cliff at the small village of Iselia.

The spot seemed perfect. Of course, he would have to watch Lloyd to make sure he didn't wander off and fall down the cliff, but it wasn't like he didn't do that already.

Noishe walked back to Lloyd and curled up around him. "From now on, I'm taking care of you. Humans are such vain and selfish creatures. Well... your parents were different, but now..." Noishe smiled, feeling pleased with the decision he made. "Since there is no other human I would trust with raising you, I'll do it myself. I will treat you like my own son."

Lloyd giggled and tugged on Noishe's fur. As usual he didn't understand Noishe, but Noishe knew he would soon be fluent.

* * *

MSS: The reason it's short is because it's a prologue. And since it's a prologue I will update again today or tomorrow. Anyways, the fun starts next chapter!

Preview:

"So, why are we doing this again?" Lloyd asked Noishe as they walked towards Iselia.

"As protozoans, it is our duty to protect the world. And since the recent attempts to regenerate the world have failed, I feel it is our duty to make sure one succeeds. Besides..." at this Noishe glanced slyly at Lloyd, "...the current Chosen of Mana is about your age, and you really should start thinking about choosing a mate-"

"Oh, come on Dad! Not now!" Lloyd yelled, blushing.


	2. The Human Who Thought He Was a Dog

MSS: I'm glad people like this so far!

Genis: Yeah, not bad.

MSS: I'm glad you like it, since you appear in this chapter.

Genis: Wait! What?

MSS: I don't own anything. Please read!

* * *

Chapter 1: The Human Who Thought He Was a Dog

Lloyd was drinking from the small stream outside of the cave where he and Noishe lived when he heard Noishe padding up to him. Lloyd lifted his head out of the water and turned to face Noishe. "Good morning Dad!"

Noishe smiled as he dropped the clothes he was carrying in his mouth on the ground. "Good morning Lloyd. I picked up some new clothes for you for our journey." Noishe nudged the pile with a paw.

"Oh! Thanks!" Lloyd quickly changed into the red shirt and black suspenders. "These are so cool! Where did you get them?"

Noishe shrugged. "A dwarf who lives in this forest. He was more than happy to hand them over after I dropped a bag of several thousand gald at his feet."

Noishe turned and began to walk off. "We should be going."

"So, why are we doing this again?" Lloyd asked Noishe as they walked towards Iselia.

"As protozoans, it is our duty to protect the world. And since the recent attempts to regenerate the world have failed, I feel it is our duty to make sure one succeeds. Besides..." at this Noishe glanced slyly at Lloyd, "...the current Chosen of Mana is about your age, and you really should start thinking about choosing a mate-"

"Oh, come on Dad! Not now!" Lloyd yelled, blushing.

* * *

Raine was seated at Colette's dining table across from Phaidra. To her right were Colette and Frank. On her left was seated Iselia's mayor.

"I believe we are all in agreement then?" asked the mayor.

Phaidra frowned. "Yes, only... Raine, are you sure you can handle this job on your own?"

Raine shut her eyes for a moment in concentration before answering, "I was just about to get to that point... I'd like to take Genis with me?"

"Genis?" asked Colette, looking hopeful, but then nervous.

"Absolutely not! Children don't belong on a journey like this!" the mayor bellowed.

"Oh? And are you volunteering to take care of him for me?" Raine raised an eyebrow.

"Um, well..." the mayor sputtered.

"Then Genis will accompany you. No one has any objections, correct?" Phaidra glanced around the table. No one said a word. "Then that's settled. Now, would anyone care to stay for lunch?"

Raine was the only one to notice the sad look on Colette's face.

* * *

It was the next day. Lloyd hastily finished eating the fruit he picked as Noishe trotted up to him.

"The Chosen is leaving now. We should catch up," ordered Noishe.

Lloyd nodded and swallowed the last of his breakfast. He and Noishe ran off towards Iselia.

Colette's group was barely fifteen minutes from Iselia when a group of monsters appeared.

"There's too many of them!" Genis yelled as he blocked an attack from a hawk.

Raine swung her staff at a wolf. "We can handle them! Genis, use Wind Blade on the hawk! Colette, you cover him!"

"Got it!" they shouted.

Another wolf joined the one Raine was fending off as Colette struck back at the small group of rabbits surrounding her. "This is ridiculous!" muttered Raine, knocking back one of the wolves and hastily blocking the attack of another.

Out of nowhere a boy in red and a green and white dog-like creature ran into the battle. They aggressively attacked the monsters while Raine got defensively in front of Colette and Genis.

"Why is that boy crawling on the ground?" wondered Colette.

Raine narrowed her eyes, looking at the green and white dog-like creature. _That creature... I recognize it... but from where?..._

The two defeated the monsters and turned to face Raine and the others. Raine's worst suspicions were confirmed. She darted forward and swung her staff, hitting the green and white creature. It went flying and managed to land on its feet. The boy quickly ran to its side. The creature stood up and said, "Whine."

With that, the two ran off.

"What was that all about?" asked Genis.

Raine frowned. "I hope those two won't become a problem."

"And just who was that? I mean, he didn't even stand up! It was like he spent his whole life crawling on the ground! What's with him?" demanded Genis.

"Hmm... maybe he thinks he's a dog?" suggested Colette.

"Only you would think of that... but I actually think you might be right..." Genis shook his head. "What is the world coming to?"

Raine folded her arms. _I've definitely seen a picture of that creature before. Now what was it called? _

* * *

"What was that all about?" Lloyd raged. "We saved them, and how do they thank us? They attacked us!"

Noishe glanced at Lloyd. "They probably thought we were monsters too."

"But... we saved them..." Lloyd lay on the ground. "Why...?"

Noishe knelt down next to Lloyd and licked the side of his face. "Don't worry, we'll still help them. We'll take out all the monsters in the area that way they'll be safe. In time they may come to trust us."

Lloyd sighed unhappily. "Okay... if you say so."

Noishe got up. "Well, ready to go monster hunting?"

Lloyd grinned. "Of course!"

* * *

MSS: Augh, a short chapter. The next will be longer, okay? As you've probably guessed by now, Lloyd speaks dog. And he doesn't know human, since he hasn't heard it in fourteen years. Oh boy... Anyways, time for the preview!

* * *

Raine gazed down at the unconscious boy at her feet. "Hmm, I wonder what his name is..."

"How about coochie?" suggested Colette brightly.

Genis rolled his eyes. "What kind of a name is that? He's human, not a dog."

"Oh... but I like that name... Besides, he acts like a dog! So I say coochie!" Colette decided.

Raine noticed a flash of gold coming from the boy's neck. She knelt down and pulled a pendant from his collar. In the center was a picture of a baby who looked just like the boy. Underneath it the word "Lloyd" was carved.

"Lloyd, huh?" said Raine. Colette sighed in disappointment that she couldn't call him coochie.


	3. Joining Up

MSS: Sorry about the long wait

MSS: I'm sorry for making you all wait so long. Hopefully updates will come faster now.

Genis: ...How typical.

MSS: Well, it's summer vacation, so I have more time now. I'll work extra hard to get as many chapters as possible out this summer!

Genis: Watch her forget... again.

MSS: (sighs) Here comes another action packed chapter!

* * *

Chapter 2: Joining Up

Lloyd dodged the jaws of the wolf he was fighting and struck out. The wolf gave one last howl before collapsing. Nearby Noishe flung away the corpse of a hawk.

"Just how many of these guys are in this area?" asked Lloyd.

Noishe sighed. "Getting bored already?"

Lloyd grinned sheepishly. "Well, yeah. I mean, it's the same monsters over and over again. Couldn't there be a little variety?"

"You should be glad they're so easy to defeat. I'll admit you're strong. However strength does not make up for experience. Until you gain more experience through battle, I'm afraid you will not be able to take a monster stronger than a wolf," Noishe admonished.

Lloyd hung his head. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He grinned with renewed vigor. "All right! Let's go out and gain more battle experience!"

Lloyd charged off into the woods. Noishe followed, shaking his head. "As long as he keeps charging ahead like that, he won't gain the caution necessary for fighting stronger monsters."

* * *

Raine leaned her staff against a tree and looked around at the small clearing. "This will do for tonight."

Colette and Genis dropped their luggage on the ground. Colette knelt and dug out a tent.

"Genis," Raine tapped him on the shoulder, "Would you please gather some firewood? Colette and I will set up the tent."

Genis nodded. "Sure!" He turned and ran off.

Raine turned towards Colette. "Now, what's been bothering you?"

"Bothering me? Oh, nothing." Colette giggled and unfolded the tent.

Raine slid the poles through the flaps as she replied, "Colette... you can trust me. Whatever you say, I won't breathe to a soul."

Colette helped Raine hoist the tent up and grabbed a stake. Sinking it into the soft ground, she glanced up at Raine. "Well... it's just, when this journey is over... you know what will happen..."

Raine sunk another stake into the ground and nodded. "Go on."

"Well... Genis is my only friend... so... I don't want him to know the truth... I don't want him to be sad. I hoped he wouldn't come because the journey will be dangerous, and... I don't want him to see what happens to me in the end," Colette explained as she sunk the final stake into the ground.

Raine got up. "We'll set up a fire pit now."

Raine and Colette gathered stones in silence. It wasn't until Raine was arranging them in a circle that she spoke again. "I promise not to tell Genis what will really happen. And I'll try to find a way so he won't be with us when we arrive at the Tower of Salvation. Perhaps I can arrange for him to wait at the inn... regardless, let's not worry about such things until we're ready to head to the tower, all right?"

Colette nodded. "Thank you professor."

* * *

Genis disgustedly dropped yet another wet stick in his search for dry firewood. Due to the rain earlier, everything he had found so far was soaking wet. _At this rate I won't find anything at all... unless..._

He carefully glanced around. He was far enough away that Raine wouldn't hear and yell at him. Taking a deep breath he pulled out his kendama. "Fireball!"

The fireball hit a small pile of wood, evaporating the water. Unfortunately it also hit a nearby tree.

"Aqua Edge!" Genis cast hastily. The fire went out.

A low growl reached his ears. Looking up fearfully, Genis saw a bear slowly climb down from the tree he had just doused. He backed away nervously, the bear angrily advancing.

Out of nowhere the boy from before jumped in between Genis and the bear. He gave Genis a look as if to say, "Stay back."

_He's... helping me?_

* * *

Lloyd lunged at the bear, dodging the arm that shot out. He grabbed the other arm and used it to throw himself up in the air in order to attack the sensitive face of the bear. He heard the boy behind him shout, "Fireball!"

He ducked under the three flames which shot out of the boy's kendama and punched the bear. He backed up for a second. _About time I fought something tougher._ Lunging forward again, Lloyd attempted to knock the bear's feet out from under it. Instead he was knocked back. Unfazed, he spotted a rock and hurled it at the bear.

Momentarily stunned, the bear reeled and struggled to keep its balance. Lloyd used this chance to dash forward and once again attempt to knock it over in order to give him the advantage. However he acted too late, as the bear jumped forward and grabbed him with its claws. It began squeezing Lloyd. Lloyd struggled to breathe, his vision growing dim.

* * *

Genis watched in horror as the bear dropped the boy's limp body on the ground and began to advance towards him. _Oh no... it's all my fault!_ Genis got into a casting position, but had to dodge a swipe from the bear.

A white and green blur burst into the clearing and viciously attacked the bear. Genis watched in shock as the very monster Raine had driven off saved his life. The bear defeated, the creature immediately rushed to the boy's side.

Genis carefully approached and knelt down next to the creature. "Don't worry, he's alive," he reassured it.

The creature looked up at him. Genis thought for a moment. _They don't seem evil. And they did save me. The least I can do..._ He looked back at the boy, before turning resolutely to the creature next to him.

"Thank you for saving me. As thanks, we can take him to my sister, and she'll heal him, okay?" Genis asked the creature.

The green and white creature looked back down at the boy in red before looking at Genis and nodding.

Genis did a double take. "Did... did you just nod at me?"

The creature nodded again.

"So... you understand me?" Genis asked.

Once again, the creature nodded.

_I need to make sure first, before assuming anything._ Making his decision, Genis asked, "Please howl twice if you really understand me."

The creature seemed to roll its eyes before it howled twice. Genis momentarily froze in shock, before getting up.

"I'll help you get him on your shoulders, that way it will be easier to bring him to our camp." Genis lifted the boy slightly and the creature shrugged the boy onto its back.

Genis turned and began to walk off. "This way!"

* * *

Raine glanced up from the book she was reading and saw Genis leading the creature from the before into the camp. Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, she spotted the boy from before on the creature back, unconscious. _Hmm... I do trust Genis. I doubt he would lead anything dangerous to us._

"Raine!" called Genis.

Colette came over at the sound of his voice, stopping in surprise at who had accompanied Genis.

"It's okay!" Genis waved his hands frantically. "They saved me! But..." He glanced over at the boy, before turning resolutely back to Raine and Colette. "But while saving me, he was injured. Please, Sis, heal him."

Raine crossed her arms. "I understand your feelings. But while I know you wouldn't intentionally bring us into danger it is unwise to help your enemies."

"Wait... Professor, please. Genis said they saved his life. So they must be nice! Please, help them!" Colette begged.

Raine sighed. "If you agree with Genis, then I suppose I've been outvoted. Very well. But if something happens, I trust you'll both listen to me in the future."

Colette and Genis nodded. Satisfied, Raine grabbed her staff and gently laid the boy on the ground. She knelt over him and began to heal.

Assured that the boy would now be okay, Genis placed the firewood down and started a fire. Colette went to the bag of supplies and pulled out the cooking supplies.

Raine got back up. "That's all I can do for the moment. We'll have to wait for him to wake up before I can do any more. But he should be fine." The creature, looking relieved, curled up on the ground.

Raine gazed down at the unconscious boy at her feet. "Hmm, I wonder what his name is..."

"How about coochie?" suggested Colette brightly.

Genis rolled his eyes. "What kind of a name is that? He's human, not a dog."

"Oh... but I like that name... Besides, he acts like a dog! So I say coochie!" Colette decided.

Raine noticed a flash of gold coming from the boy's neck. She knelt down and pulled a pendant from his collar. In the center was a picture of a baby who looked just like the boy. Underneath it the word "Lloyd" was carved.

"Lloyd, huh?" said Raine. Colette sighed in disappointment that she couldn't call him coochie.

* * *

_Huh? Where am I?_ Lloyd groggily opened his eyes. He sat up quickly when he realized he was with the group he and Noishe were protecting.

A woman with silver hair got up and approached him. "Lloyd," She began.

"Huh? How do you know my name?" asked Lloyd.

"Tosdojfgjkdiasjsnjskfjtirkfdk," the woman answered.

"Um... what did you just say?" Lloyd cocked his head, confused.

The boy he saved earlier got up. "Roidjgjskncskjhf?"

Lloyd looked between the two, confused. Noishe padded over.

"Lloyd... do you remember how to speak human?" Noishe asked carefully.

Understanding slowly dawned on Lloyd. "You mean... humans don't speak the same language we do?"

Noishe sighed. "I'm starting to get the feeling this will be a longer journey than I expected..."

* * *

MSS: Once again, I'm sorry for the delay. I will get the next chapter out this week, and if for some reason I haven't posted on Friday... pm me. Yup, pretty much pm me if you start to get impatient.

Genis: Here's the preview:

* * *

Lloyd sniffed the air. He sniffed it again, just to make sure. It was. Excited, he jumped up and rushed over to Raine, yelling, "FOOOOOOOOOD!!"

Raine held the plate over her head. Frustrated, Lloyd jumped up, but the plate was just out of his reach.

"Bad Lloyd! Udksjl no sfjkjfsgjfvn! Down!" Raine yelled, glaring. Lloyd hastily sat down. Smiling, Raine pulled off a piece of the meat and placed it in Lloyd's cupped hands. Lloyd immediately gobbled it down.

"Sdkfieif dog..." muttered Genis, shaking his head.

Colette ran up to Lloyd and threw her arms around him. "Dkjkfd cute!"


	4. Dog Dos and Don'ts

MSS: What do you know, an update.

Genis: About time. We've all been waiting you know.

MSS: Yeah… Well, there are a few things I need to clear up with the readers first before continuing, so they won't stone me. First of all, I never intended to rewrite the whole journey of regeneration, or the whole game for that matter. I feel that events would probably end up the same after a point, as Lloyd becomes more and more accustomed to being human "again." So the story was only meant to be six or so chapters long. But when I reread what I've written and saw the shortness of the current chapters, plus checked the outline and saw the comparative shortness of the upcoming chapters, I decided to combine them. So the story will be very short, but I'm leaving it open to be continued. My writing style has changed a lot since when I used to write, so I'd rather start fresh with a sequel to this so I won't feel that I have to imitate how I used to write.

Genis: So to sum it up, there will be a few more chapters and an epilogue, and then maybe a sequel if enough people want one.

MSS: Exactly. So if you want me to continue, please speak up, otherwise this story will take the back burner for now. Also, a thanks to all the people who have asked me to continue. It's thanks to you guys I gathered up the will to start writing again. So thank you!

Genis: Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 3: Dog Dos and Don'ts

The man entered the village. Looking around, he headed for the nearby store and looked through the produce, listening to conversations around him.

"So the Chosen has already begun her journey, huh? Too bad I missed her departure."

"Raine Sage and her brother went with her, right?"

"Hey, with a pair of elves helping her, there's no way she'll fail to save us all!"

"I heard Phaidra say they were headed for Triet first."

"Excuse me sir," the man behind the counter called, "Can I help you with anything?"

The man shook his head. "No thank you. I've already found what I'm looking for." He held up an apple and passed the man behind the counter some gald before exiting the store and leaving Iselia.

* * *

Lloyd crawled alongside Colette. Traveling with the small group was nice. Lloyd hadn't expected his first contact with humans to go so well after the first meeting where Raine attacked him. But in the days that followed the merging of the groups, Lloyd found it was nice to be with other humans. Except for one persistent problem….

"kldjfahfhfkvhfdvhnfad? Dhjnfikfhefhlkdjs! Lloyd kdjglsijei cute!" Colette squealed, giving Lloyd a hug out of nowhere. Lloyd had a nudging feeling the blonde had secretly declared him her pet dog.

"Colette… dkjasejfshfsdk…." Genis said, rolling his eyes. Colette laughed, but then patted Lloyd on the head. Lloyd smiled up at her, making her once again squeal with delight and start patting him again. Genis rolled his eyes once more and began to talk to Raine.

Raine. Lloyd had slowly come to understand her hostility. He understood it came from her desire to protect the two younger humans. In a way, it was attractive that she was so caring. Not that Lloyd was interested. At the moment, everything was fine because Colette was-

Colette started to scratch his head. At that spot. That one spot. The good spot. Lloyd stopped moving, thoroughly wrapped up in the scratching of the special spot. The spot that always felt good. His mouth started to hang open. Seeing Lloyd's reaction, Colette happily continued scratching, going a bit harder. Lloyd was in heaven, until…

"Enjoying yourself?" Noishe smirked. Lloyd glanced around, now seeing that everyone had stopped and was staring. He hastily started to move again as Raine reprimanded Colette. Noishe walked by Lloyd and whispered in his ear, "Don't forget what I said about finding a mate."

Lloyd turned red and chose to ignore his father. The group continued, passing a chapel as a desert grew in the distance.

* * *

"This should be fine for the night." Raine set down her pack. "I'd rather we not try to cross the desert so close to sunset. We'll stay on the plains for the night, and leave early in the morning so we reach Triet before it gets too hot."

Nodding in agreement, Genis and Colette began to set up camp. Colette pulled out the tent as Genis pulled out cooking supplies. Noishe walked over to him and dropped the firewood he had picked up not too far back.

* * *

Lloyd sniffed the air. He sniffed it again, just to make sure. It was. Excited, he jumped up and rushed over to Raine, yelling, "FOOOOOOOOOD!"

Raine held the plate over her head. Frustrated, Lloyd jumped up, but the plate was just out of his reach.

"Bad Lloyd! Udksjl no sfjkjfsgjfvn! Down!" Raine yelled, glaring. Lloyd hastily sat down. Smiling, Raine pulled off a piece of the meat and placed it in Lloyd's cupped hands. Lloyd immediately gobbled it down.

"Sdkfieif dog..." muttered Genis, shaking his head.

Colette ran up to Lloyd and threw her arms around him. "Dkjkfd cute!"

Lloyd smiled at the hug, before sheepishly looking at Noishe. Noishe shook his head. "Lloyd, please try to remember your manners. Now that we are among humans, you need to try to eat like they do."

"Okay…" Lloyd watched Colette pick up a fork and knife and daintily slice her portion into tiny bites. He grabbed Genis's silverware before he could pick it up and attempted to imitate Colette with Genis's portion. Genis rolled his eyes and got another plate. Colette grinned happily and helped Lloyd position his hands correctly.

"Yay Lloyd! Good job!" she smiled.

Lloyd watched as Colette stabbed a piece of meat with her fork and placed it inside her mouth. He imitated it, and got another smile and congratulations. It wasn't too bad, but it seemed pointless to eat the way humans did. But Noishe said to eat like a human, and it made Colette happy, so it was good enough for Lloyd.

Raine quietly watched over the scene with a smile. She was glad Colette had found some happiness before the end.

* * *

The man walked towards the chapel, stopping when he saw a traveler. "Excuse me, have you been here long?" he asked.

"Yes, why?" replied the traveler.

"I got held back and separated from the group I was traveling with. Have any groups passed by here recently?" He studied the traveler's face.

"Yes, actually. They passed about midday, but didn't stop. They looked like they were headed for Triet."

"Thank you," said the man, turning and heading towards the desert as the sun vanished over the horizon.

"Wait! It's dangerous to travel at night!" The man vanished in the twilight. The traveler shook his head. "I hope he meets up with them okay."

* * *

In the desert, a band of another sorts was camped out. The man with a beard studied the group of five through a spyglass. There were no lights in this camp. It was a camp with a single purpose, and that purpose did not involve spending the night. The people of the other camp were asleep, the only one still awake being the strange green and white monster. The man gestured to the small group of soldiers. "Go."

* * *

Years of living in the woods paid off. Lloyd was a light sleeper thanks to the need to constantly be on his guard. Usually this was an annoyance to him, seeing as he liked his sleep. Tonight, he was grateful he wasn't the type to doze off in class, as much as he would like to be and probably would have been had he grown up in a town.

The assassins crept into the camp. Lloyd knew they had to be after Colette. He waited quietly while Noishe growled at them. As soon as one neared Colette's sleeping figure next to him he sprang up, knocking over the man.

Chaos broke out. The rest of the group woke up. Raine instantly had her staff and was striking left and right. Genis and Colette attempted to gather their bearing while Lloyd and Noishe defended them.

A larger man approached, and the assassins backed off slightly. Lloyd decided he was the leader. The man drew his sword and took up a battle stance. Lloyd glanced about and grabbed a rock.

It happened fast. The man charged forward. Lloyd swung the rock at him, hitting the side of his head. With his free arm the man grabbed Lloyd and got him into a headlock, reaching for his neck. Lloyd managed to wriggle away and threw the rock.

* * *

The man saw the fire in the distance. Figures darted about it, there was the sound of weapons clashing, and voices yelled. He knew he needed to hurry, or it would be too late.

* * *

The man managed a hit on Lloyd. He had the height advantage, and Lloyd was starting to understand why Noishe had warned him about taking on those stronger than himself. He reached around, looking for another rock. The man started to bring down his sword triumphantly. Lloyd flinched, but the blow never came. Instead with a clang the man was disarmed, his sword flying off into the darkness.

"You!" The now disarmed man whispered hoarsely. He glanced about, seeing his companions slowly losing the battle. "Retreat!" he called. The other assassins instantly dashed off into the darkness, followed by the man with the beard.

* * *

Raine wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked around to make sure everyone was okay before turning to the man who helped them. "And you are?"

"Forgive me," said the man, "I had meant to join up with you all earlier. I am Kratos, a mercenary. I learned that the Chosen was beginning her journey and wished to help. Since all the previous Chosens in recent years have failed, I thought I might be of some use to her as a bodyguard."

"I see," said Raine, not ready to trust yet another "savior" yet. Lloyd and Noishe had proved trustworthy, but something struck her as… off… about this man. "Well, I thank you for helping us. However we are fine on our own thank you."

"Please," implored Kratos, "Let me prove myself. If after a few days you still wish to send me away, so be it. But at least give me a chance."

Raine closed her eyes thoughtfully. It was late, and they needed to leave early in the morning. "Very well. Know that I will be watching you carefully."

"Of course," responded Kratos. "I wouldn't have it any other way. The safety of the Chosen must go first."

* * *

Lloyd stared at the man. Something about him felt familiar, as if he knew him already.

"Kratos," said Noishe softly beside him.

Lloyd turned sharply. "You know him?"

"Yes… go to sleep, we'll speak more in the morning," Noishe turned away. The man looked at the two of them, his brow furrowing briefly. Lloyd rolled over and was out instantly, not noticing the small weight he normally carried was missing.

* * *

"And Kratos is now with them?" Yuan turned to the side, recalculating his plans in his mind.

"Yes," answered Botta. "It will be more difficult to get to the Chosen now."

Yuan sighed and sat at his desk. "Well, no matter. He can't be on his guard all the time… and that's when we'll strike."

"Sir… there is one other thing."

Yuan looked up, folding his hands on the desk. "Yes?"

"There are others. A boy and a protozoan."

"What?" Yuan's full attention was on Botta now.

"This was hanging on the boy's neck. I think you should have a look at it sir." Botta held up Lloyd's locket.

Yuan took it and opened it, a smirk slowly spreading across his face. "So he survived… This fits in perfectly with my plan."

* * *

Genis: In the next chapter of Sit Boy:

* * *

Lloyd looked sharply at Noishe. "Wait… so you're saying that Colette will die in order to regenerate the world?"

Noishe nodded solemnly. "Yes… that is the way it's always been."

Lloyd shook his head. "I can't accept that. There has to be another way!"

Noishe looked proudly at Lloyd. "I know if anyone can find a way, you can. Human or not, I am proud to call you my son."

Lloyd dug his nails into his hand. "Just you wait Colette. I'll find a way so that both you and the world can be saved."


End file.
